Smith Jr., James A.

Dr. James A. (Jim) Smith Jr., 86, died Sunday, April 7, 2013, at Giles Community Hospital. He was born in Cleveland, Tenn., son of James Alfred and Bernice Wright Smith. He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant sister, Miriam, and a brother, Henry G. Smith. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Cornelia Woodson Smith; a daughter, Emily Smith Gray (Jason), Cary, N.C.; four sons, James Woodson Smith (April), Frankfort, Ky.; Thomas Wright Smith (Golfo), St. Petersburg, Fla.; Christopher Hale Smith, Warsaw, Poland; and Mark Daniel Smith, Henrico; eight grandchildren, Steven and Alexandra Smith, Thomas and William Gray, Zuzanna and Phoebe Smith, and Athena and Sophia Smith. He served in the United States Marine Corps near the end of World War II before entering college. He received a B.A. from Emory & Henry College; M.Div. from Yale Divinity School; and a Ph.D. from Boston University. He also did graduate study for one semester at Oxford University in England. Dr. Smith was ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ (UCC) and served churches in Toledo, Ohio, Hamden, Conn., and Medford, Mass. He served 12 years as chaplain and philosophy professor at Hood College, Frederick, Md. He was academic dean for five years at Lees Junior College, Jackson, Ky. He then worked 20 years with the UCC Board for Homeland Ministries as Church-College Coordinator for 30 UCC-related colleges. Following retirement he worked for 10 years as interim pastor for several UCC churches in Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia. A memorial service will be held at Narrows First United Methodist Church on Friday, April 12, 2013, at noon, led by the Rev. Chris Stanfield. The family will receive friends at the church from 10 a.m. until the service. Jim chose to be cremated. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Emory & Henry College, Emory, VA 24327, or to the Memorial Fund at First United Methodist Church, Box 398, Narrows, VA 24124.